Holiday fuels Sixers rally in win over Raptors

PHILADELPHIA — During this extended stretch of misery, the Sixers have found inventive ways to lose games. Friday’s formula – rallying for a win – was a novel one.

Jrue Holiday couldn’t be stopped in overtime, Thad Young was huge throughout and the Sixers fended off Toronto, 108-101, at Wells Fargo Center. In doing so, the Sixers won for only the fifth time in their last 19 games.

Making a case for his first all-star nomination, Holiday hit the game-tying shot in regulation and did pretty much everything in overtime. He filled up the stat sheet with 33 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and three steals. Young’s double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Holiday was a force in the overtime, earning chants of ‘ALL-STAR’ from the fans who stuck around for the late theatrics. He hit shots on three consecutive possessions, including a 3-pointer and a leaner from inside the circle to make it a 105-99 game with 56.2 seconds left. He scored all 12 of the Sixers’ points in overtime.

The drama began to unfold in the final seconds of regulation. Down by two with 5.9 seconds left in regulation, the Sixers forced a turnover. Off the inbound pass, Holiday drove the lane and hit a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining to tie it at 96-all and send the game to overtime. Thad Young erupted for 14 points in the fourth quarter, helping the cause.

Toronto played most of the second half without point guard Jose Calderon, who exited with 7:35 left in the third and never returned in regulation, though he was available.

Against the Raptors (14-26), the only team they’re leading in the Atlantic Division, and one of only two teams they’re outrebounding this season, the Sixers (17-23) had a prime opportunity to earn a victory.

Nothing like an overtime win to turn the tide, or so they hope.

Like their shadow, the Sixers couldn’t outrun their ugly play during the first quarter, with the Sixers missing their first seven attempts. Not good. What’s more, the Raptors were firing away. They shot at a 70-percent clip, hitting 12 of 17 in the opening period to take a 28-20 lead.

Lavoy Allen gave the Sixers an unexpected lift in the second quarter, but it didn’t lessen the blow. They still limped into halftime with a 60-43 deficit, with Raptors forwards Ed Davis and Amir Johnson exerting themselves plenty in the paint.

The only redeeming quality of the first half was the return of Allen. The seemingly invisible big man had been averaging five points per game in the Sixers’ last five, heading into this one, so totaling six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots before halftime was a boon.

Everything turned in the third quarter, when the Sixers outscored the Raptors, 29-13. A 15-2 run certainly helped matters. So did a key stretch that helped the Sixers trim their once 19-point deficit to one heading into the fourth.

And the simple plays made the difference.

Nick Young made a hard cut and buried a feed from Evan Turner. Another assist from Turner came on a kick-out to Thad Young, whose 16-footer made it a two-point game, at 71-69. Turner hit one of two free throws, Jrue Holiday dribbled into the paint and hung in midair for a while before nailing a floater, and suddenly it was 73-72.

Go figure. The Sixers shot 13-for-18 in the third, the Raptors 5-for-18.

In the fourth quarter, Toronto didn’t miss much. And even when the Raptors did, they seemed to match the Sixers shot-for-shot.

Thad Young hit a pair of jumpers on successive possessions, but the Sixers’ defense couldn’t make a stand. The Sixers had trimmed their once-hefty deficit when Toronto went nuts. Ryan Anderson hit a 3-pointer, Terrance Ross swished an off-balance jumper at the high post and Ed Davis made a 12-footer on the baseline. Like that, the deficit the Sixers had closed to one was back to double figures.